How hard is it to replace the roof aerial?

[RobM]

Has anybody done a DIY job on the roof aerial, replacing the stock aerial for a DAB one? Is it simple enough to do and run cables safely?

 

I've got to get a replacement windscreen thanks to a nasty stone chip, which means my current windscreen mounted (stick-on) DAB aerial might not survive. Rather than buy another identical one I'd rather replace it properly. There aren't any decent car audio places near me (Southampton) so I was thinking of doing it myself.

 

The bit that worries me is removing the roof lining and re-fitting it without screwing it up. Is that a difficult job? I assume once that's done it's simply a case of running and securing cables in the right places.

Any advice (even if it's get a pro to do it!) would be appreciated

[RobM]

Thank you. I had read that when searching before posting, but it talks about a like-for-like replacement so doesn't involve running any new cables, which will be necessary for DAB. That bit is certainly useful, it's the rest of the job that has the potential to be a pain!

[RobM]

Good shout, are there any power cables or other sources of interference to avoid down either side?

[RobM]

Top man, thank you

[KBPhoto]

I'd remove the headlining and run the cables adjacent to the existing ones.

You may be able to get short cable to change connector from one type to another and use the existing cables.

Having removed the headlining and done exactly this and also removed the boot trim and sill trim several times, I can say that it is much less hassle to do it with the headlining out that any other route.

And removing the headlining isn't all that hard. Just needs care to avoid bending and creasing it. An assistant makes it pretty straightforward.

Makes getting the aerial out easy and also keeps cable runs short.

I'd recommend rfbat or ChinaRF on eBay for cables. I've used them on a number of occasions and still have some spare cable from them.

I'll see if any will be of use to you.

[paddypaws]

I'm tempted to do the same which DAB aerial are you fitting?

[RobM]

I've just ordered this: http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Kinetic_DRA-6003_FM-AM_DAB_car_aerial.html

 

I went for the bundle with the 5.5m DAB cable included. It seemed good value for money; they had one at twice the price but I'm not sure what I'd be getting for that extra money. I live in a decent signal area and my windscreen stuck-on aerial has never let me down, so this can only be better. It's not the absolute cheapest though, so build quality should be OK. The supplier has a decent returns policy though should all else fail.

 

Thanks to the help and advice above I'm going to give it a go myself. I was having a poke around in the car a few moments ago and I think accessing the aerial itself should be OK (follow the link above and hope I don't break something!) and from there I can pull the rubber trim away from the top edge of the doors enough to feed it through, so I think I'll give that a go. I should then be able to drop it down the A-pillar, behind the glove box and into the stereo.

 

Sounds so easy when typed....

[RainbowFire]

I installed cables from back to front last weekend. Removed the rear trip from the top of the roof. Removed passenger sun visor. Pushed a long thin piece of wood from back to front, taped the cables to the wood and pulled it back through. Cables are well away from the curtain air-bags (above the grab handles) too. At the front the I tied the cables to the exisiting A-pillar loom and then down into the dashboard and across to the head unit.

 

What I did find is that the exisiting AM/FM aerial connector is not one listed here:

http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/Car_radio_aerial_connector_identification.html

....so have found a different one to replace mine.